Cannabis Market & IP Landscape

Cannabis (or marijuana) is a plant of the Cannabaceae family and contains more than 80 biologically active chemical compounds. The most commonly known psychoactive compounds from Cannabis are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

In less than two decades, cannabis has been legalized in 24 US states and Washington, D.C., as well as in several international regions including Canada, Mexico, and South Africa. The cannabis industry has brought massive attention in search of potential business opportunities including improved cultivation, incorporation in food and beverage, and management of legal trade channels.

Instead of minimally processing of the plant, manufacturers are purifying oils or extracts from cannabis. Numerous technological breakthroughs will herald a new era of consumption and radically reshape the cannabis industry. For example, CBD is highly lipophilic and is known for its low bioavailability. Nanoencapsulation that encapsulates cannabinoids in a small emulsion can dramatically increase that bioavailability.

The effects of cannabis can vary from person to person depending on genetics, age, gender, and the quantity and strength of the cannabis. Therefore, finding the right cannabis or blend of THC and CBD can be a challenge. Some companies are already stepping into personalized cannabis products to optimize their use and safety. Strain Genie performs genetic analysis to provide consumption warnings and recommend cannabinoid, terpene and strain. Dynamic DNA Laboratories’s Cannabis DNA Test analyzes individual’s cannabis metabolizing genes to promote cannabis health benefits and avoid unwanted side effects.

Technical improvements help ensure safer cannabis consumption via vaporizing, which accounts for 40% of cannabis delivery – disruptive improvements will be valuable here

One of the most common routes of cannabis administration is inhalation via vaporization: heating of hash oil or cannabis plant material to release aerosolized cannabinoids
Vaporized cannabis produces greater pharmacodynamic effects and higher concentrations of THC in blood compared with equal doses of smoked cannabis
Recently, RATIO Cannabis launched dose-controlled vaporizers for heightened levels of control. Vapor Dosing Technologies offered the first cannabis dosing device that allows personalized dose down to the milligram.
RYAH Smart Inhaler launched an integrated volumetric airflow sensor that enables consumers to easily track and control how much they inhale

There is relatively sparse but continued recent growth (14.7% CAGR) in patch-based cannabis delivery – wearable delivery offers potential new products and differentiation

Cannabis & derivative-containing patches provide a whole host of benefits over other methods of cannabis consumption
It’s discreet, easily administered, allows controlled release and improves cannabinoid permeability
Potentially adopted as an administration route for treating inflammatory disease & chronic pain without causing psychoactive effects
Key players in this area include Bazelet Technologies, University of California, L'Oréal, Pike Therapeutics and One World Cannabis

Cannabis IP is subject to increasing intellectual property enforcement in the past 3 years: 79% of litigated patents are published since 2020

The litigated patents are owned by cannabis producers and cannabis derivatives providers, or pharmaceutical companies
Top 5 owners are GW Research Ltd, Dow, Arkema, Diverse Biotech, Izun Pharma
Litigated patents cover cannabis compositions, active ingredients and phytocannabinoids for treating conditions such as epilepsy, fragile X syndrome, or inflammation. Litigated patents also cover leak-resistant vaporizer devices for dispensing cannabis oils
Due to increasing competition in the cannabis industry, we expect continued intellectual property enforcement in the future

Objectives of Intellar Cannabis & CBD Derivatives IP Landscape Dashboards

Intellar Cannabis & CBD Derivatives Landscape Dashboards are designed to visualize who is doing what, when and where - and for how much?
Key concepts: cannabis, cannabaceae, hemp, marijuana, cannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiols, tetrahydrocannabinols, cannabichromene, cannabidiolic acids, cannabidivarin, cannabigero, endocannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinolic acids, and tetrahydrocannabivarins

Data Coverage for Intellar Cannabis & CBD Derivatives IP Landscape Dashboards

More than 8,000 de-duplicated global simple patent families published in (machine translated) English since 2015
Technical literature, scientific, medical and engineering journal abstracts, full text (when available) & images published in English since 2017
News articles, press releases, business research, market forecasts, announcements and magazine content published in English since 2020